STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITIES FRAMEWORK DRAFT: July 2020

DRAFT X

EAST WARREN / CADIEUX

NEIGHBORHOOD FRAMEWORK PLAN

DEPARTMENT OF Planning & Development

Chapter XXX: Chapter Title \\ 1 DRAFT

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Acknowledgments This project would not be possible without the invaluable contributions from the following individuals on the project team:

CITY OF DETROIT COMMUNITY PARTNERS CONSULTING PARTNERS Invest Detroit OHM Advisors Planning & Development Department (PDD) Eastside Community Network Urban Strategies, Inc Housing & Redevelopment Department (HRD) East English Village Neighborhood Association 3C Associates Department of Neighborhoods (DON) Morningside Neighborhood Association livingLAB Historic District Commission (HDC) Cornerstone Village Neighborhood Association 4Ward Planning General Services Department (GSD) U-SNAP-BAC Quinn Evans Architects Detroit Land Bank Authority (DLBA) MECCA Department of Public Works (DPW) East Warren Business Association Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) The many community residents and community Detroit Water & Sewerage Department (DWSD) members who devoted their time and energy Detroit City Council District 4, Office of Council to provide thoughts, feedback, and guidance Member André Spivey throughout this process. DRAFT DRAFT

Table of Contents

CHAPTER ONE Introduction 06

CHAPTER TWO Previous Planning and Programs 14

CHAPTER THREE Conditions and Trends 24

CHAPTER FOUR Strategic Opportunities Framework 62 DRAFT

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Introduction

The E. Warren/Cadieux Neighborhood Framework Plan is a plan of action for guiding growth and investment in the neighborhood, co-crafted by the City of Detroit and neighborhood residents, and built on inclusionary growth, economic opportunity, and an atmosphere of trust. 1 DRAFT

INTRODUCTION

In 2019, the City of Detroit embarked on its ninth neighborhood framework plan, focusing their efforts on the far east side of the City and the neighborhoods surrounding E. Warren Avenue: Morningside, East English Village, and Cornerstone Village. These three neighborhoods are located along the border of the City and share that border with Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Park, and Grosse Pointe Farms, and Harper Woods. The Study Area’s proximity to these suburbs has drawn many of the resources from the City of Detroit, including local retail. Long heralded as neighborhoods of diversity in architecture, income, residents, and businesses, this Plan will build on that identity to attract investments that help tell the story.

The E. Warren/Cadieux Neighborhood Framework Plan is a plan of action crafted in coordination with community residents and the City’s Planning and Development Department to identify feasible strategies to improve the quality of life for all residents. The Plan will provide concepts spanning all three neighborhoods and connect the aspects of the focus areas to establish a coordinated framework that will build on the existing strengths in the community.

The recommendations of the E. Warren/Cadieux Neighborhood Framework Plan will be funded in part by the Strategic Neighborhood Fund, a philanthropic funding mechanism intended to jump start private investment in the ten Strategic Neighborhoods. Approximately $130 million in total investment is planned throughout the city and each of the ten neighborhoods will receive a portion of the money to target specific public investments. The E. Warren/Cadieux Study Area consists of the Morningside, East English Village, and Cornerstone Village neighborhoods.

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NEIGHBORHOOD SNAPSHOT The E. Warren/Cadieux Study Area is comprised of the neighborhoods of Morningside, East English Village, and Cornerstone Village and is home to a wide variety of individuals, businesses, and institutions. The neighborhoods’ population has mirrored the rest of the City through its history, with a decrease starting in the 1970s and finally leveling out in the late 2010s. More recently, the steep decline from 2010 to 2016 has been replaced by a gradual increase over the last three years.

In terms of population, Morningside is the largest neighborhood in 24,221 8,462 2.83 2019 Population Households Average the study area, with 11,007 residents. Cornerstone’s population is Household Size 8,153, followed by East English Village at 5,061. There are over 8,400 households in the study area and an average household size of 2.83.

HISTORIC POPULATION TRENDS NEIGHBORHOOD POPULATION 26,250

25,750 11,007 5,061 8,153 Morningside East English Village Cornerstone 25,250

24,750

24,250

23,750 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

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PLANNING FOCUS AREAS The E. Warren/Cadieux Neighborhood Plan will focus on four distinct areas that are important to the future success of the neighborhood. The plan’s focus areas were selected because the strategies that they will be tied to can be implemented by the City of Detroit and other Plan partners with public and private investment. The overall goal of the project is to identify the direct, targeted interventions that will spur additional private investment to stabilize the entire neighborhood. The E. Warren/Cadieux Plan will focus on the strategies related to Neighborhood Stabilization, Commercial and Mixed-Use Development, E. Warren Renovation, and Parks and Open Space. Neighborhood Stabilization efforts in the Fitzgerald Neighborhood in Northwest Detroit helped 1. NEIGHBORHOOD STABILIZATION turn a blighted home into a community hub. This focus area will concentrate on blight in the neighborhood and specific strategies to stop and remove it from the community, as well as identifying opportunities to rehabilitate vacant homes in the Study Area. The City and Detroit Land Bank Authority currently have dedicated strategies for removing blight and this plan will focus and adapt those efforts in order to improve quality of life, safety, and home values for residents. 2. COMMERCIAL AND MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT This focus area is related to attracting and supporting the success of new shops and businesses along the E. Warren Corridor, which serve the neighborhoods in the Study Area and help to stabilize them. Additionally, strategies to introduce new subsidized and market rate housing, in the form of mixed-use development will be explored as part of this focus area. Special consideration will be taken to preserve historic structures in the community to maintain the neighborhood’s character.

The Des Moine Social Club was an example of community focused commercial development that helped anchor a growing retail corridor in Des Moine, IA

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3. E. WARREN RENOVATION The renovation of E. Warren Avenue applies to the infrastructure of the street, or streetscape, and how it can be redesigned to work better for all users in the community. The renovation of E. Warren Avenue will be closely tied to the specific locations identified through the Commercial and Mixed-Use Development focus area and will look to improve safety, comfort, and usability for non-motorized users. Concepts for safe, convenient, and adaptable parking assets will be explored along with improved, quality transit stops. 4. PARKS AND OPEN SPACE The major park asset in the neighborhood is Balduck Park, and this theme will explore the community’s vision for new and improved amenities here, along with improved access, safety, and functionality for the park. Additional amenity upgrades at the other parks in the neighborhood will be considered, as well as new public or private open spaces along the E. Warren Corridor for the community. Livernois Avenue was transformed into a true multi-modal street that offers space for all users through the Neighborhood Framework Plan process.

Throughout the E. Warren/Cadieux planning process, specific strategies will be developed that target each of the Plan’s focus areas while complementing aspects of the other focus areas. Since funding is limited for improvements, the concepts will ideally work together to stretch the City’s dollars as far as possible. One example of this is coordinating the E. Warren streetscape improvements with the commercial redevelopment investment area to allow each to build on the another.

Park space that offers activities for all neighborhood residents is key to improving the quality of life in the E. Warren/Cadieux Study Area.

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OCTOBER- ULY - DECEMBER - PROJECT PROCESS & ENGAGEMENT ANUARY-UNE DECEMBER NOVEMEMBER ANUARY This Plan is a year long study aimed to identify actionable strategies D F D residents, community groups, investors, and the City of Detroit can use to improve the quality of life for those who live and work in the Morningside, East English Village, and Cornerstone Village Community Meetings 1 2 4 neighborhoods. The planning process includes four phases of work, December 11 June October Mid-Januar Kick-Off, Discovery, Strategy Development, and Finalization, each We are here intended to identify specific aspects of the plan and act as stopgaps for Other Engagement Opportunities Virtual and Online Engagement the community to weigh in on the process. Pop-up Engagement

Door Knocking

Mailers

Newsletter

Website

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Since this is a plan for the neighborhood and is being crafted with the residents, opportunities for community engagement will happen throughout the entirety of the project. Prior to the global COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing guidelines, community meetings were planned for the end of each phase. This approach has shifted to weekly virtual office hours where community members can talk about their neighborhood and what they would like to see this plan accomplish

A community Meet and Greet was held prior to the project starting in October 2019 with around 70 residents in attendance. This was a chance for the community to meet the project team, ask questions about the planning process, and identify areas where they thought the plan should focus.

In December 2019, the first community wide public meeting was held at Ronald Brown Academy with over 100 residents in attendance. Following an overview of the project, attendees gathered in small groups to talk about the four project focus areas and give input on what they thought the project team should concentrate on. Many residents had similar views on how to stabilize the neighborhood, redesign E. Warren, improve the parks, and attract new businesses.

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THE STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITIES FRAMEWORK The Strategic Opportunities Framework consists of the compilation and analysis of the existing conditions, stakeholder interviews, current City programs, and public opinion surrounding the four plan topic areas. Data from sources including various City of Detroit departments, Detroit Land Bank Authority (DLBA), the Detroit Department of Transportation, SEMCOG, and in-person observation were compiled through this process. Many of the datasets, including that from the DLBA, are updated consistently with new data. For this analysis, data was gathered between January 2020 and March 2020.

The Strategic Opportunities Framework (SOF) is intended to be a high-level strategy tool for the development of recommendations in the later phases of the Plan. The main goal of the SOF is to identify areas in the neighborhood where strategies from the four topic areas can align and, in turn, where specific improvement strategies should be applied. Due to the limited implementation budget of the City, identifying areas of overlap for the four topic areas will be crucial to ensuring the greatest impact is achieved.

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Previous Planning and Programs

Over the years, many plans, studies, and programs have been carried out in the E. Warren/Cadieux neighborhoods. Understanding this previous work is important to crafting strategies that will succeed in the future. 2 DRAFT

The DEGC found that retail along E. Warren can benefit from the higher PREVIOUS PLANNING traffic counts and strength of neighboring communities. The corridor Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) – Detroit Retail is highly under-served in neighborhood goods & services and has low Study access to personal care and household goods and services. However, E. Warren is primed for increasing the amount of and quality of The 2018 DEGC Detroit Retail Opportunity Study outlines major neighborhood-serving retail. findings, recommendations, and specific strategies for thirteen study areas, including the E. Warren Corridor, within the city of Detroit. The study states that supporting existing retailers is a critical part The purpose of the study was to determine the current market of an effort to increase access to retail. Stakeholders involved in the opportunities, the demands and needs of current residents, and provide study expressed that when retailers do open, it is difficult to stay information for the Detroit business community and community leaders in business due to a lack of clustering and a lower level of sales per to make informed community development decisions. The following square foot, creating challenges in maintaining properties. Specific recommendations were developed for all study areas in the City: recommendations for the East Warren corridor include the following:

• Configure long, linear commercial corridors into focused retail nodes. • Provide resources to restore historic architecture (such as the Alger • Provide educational resources and support to retailers and property Theater) owners. • Focus retail development in a concentrated node at major intersections • Neighborhood retail strategies should start with neighborhood retail. • Prioritize a tenant mix to complement the convenience-oriented • Bolster collaborative efforts to execute this focused retail strategy. customer in the corridor • Create a Micro-BID organizational strategy to support the growth of each corridor.

The DEGC’s Citywide retail study found that on E. Warren Avenue, most of the space commercial available was dedicated to traditional retail, and nearly half was vacant.

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Detroit Land Bank Authority – Bridging Neighborhoods Program Restorin’ East Warren The Bridging Neighborhoods Program was developed during the Developed by University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture planning stages of the new international bridge crossing that is being students in 2017, Restorin’ East Warren focuses on a 0.8-mile-long constructed by Canada and the United States in Southwest Detroit. In stretch along E. Warren between Bedford Road and Guilford Street. order to accommodate the future Gordie Howe International Bridge, Over 700 residents and business owners were engaged in an effort to existing residents are being relocated or bought out by eminent understand existing economic conditions and to develop strategies to domain. Those residents that did not take a buyout were given the improve the corridor. The overarching goal of the project was to provide option to relocate to a renovated home in one of three Strategic Fund a framework to help E. Warren gain 100% business occupancy along Neighborhoods; Morningside, Warrendale, and Southwest. The Detroit the corridor by the year 2022. Land Bank Authority controls a higher number of properties in these neighborhoods and, by offering homes here, can help stabilize the Key recommendations from the plan include: neighborhoods. • Finding permanent space for future pop up business activations. • Working with public sector to improve local infrastructure and increase walkability. • Identifying neighborhood needs and utilizing periodic block builds to test new solutions out. • Expanding and building on the newly established Business and Community Association. • Increasing inclusive programming along the corridor. • Identifying a site for an Eastside Woodshop and Tool Library. • Establishing a for-proﬁt entity where community members can invest in property • Working with City and County officials to establish parameters for a Recreational Trail connecting the neighborhoods through increased walkability.

A community meeting was held outside of the Alger Theater to gather input on recommendations identified in the Restorin’ East Warren capstone project.

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Stabilizing Morningside Creating Neighborhoods of Choice on Detroit’s East Side The Stabilizing Morningside Capstone Project was developed in 2015 In 2017, the Detroit Chapter of the Urban Land Institute developed by University of Michigan Urban and Regional Planning students. The a real estate study for Detroit’s east side neighborhoods, including plan identifies four goals and strategies that can work to strengthen Morningside, East English Village, and Cornerstone Village. As part of its housing market and stabilize the neighborhood: Preventing Tax the preparation for the E. Warren/Cadieux Neighborhood Framework Foreclosure, Renovating Houses, Turning Vacant Lots into Assets, and Plan, the City of Detroit worked with the Larson Center for Leadership Building Neighborhood Capacity. to engage with community members, conduct research, and prepare recommendations, specifically about existing blight, future stabilization Stabilizing Morningside worked with local community organizations opportunities, potential development opportunities, and needed to identify the impacts associated with each goal and develop specific transportation improvements. strategies that the project partners could use to address each. Many of the specific strategies focus on targeted interventions, such as property Specific recommendations were developed for the following topic tax education, renovating homes in specific areas, creating a greenway areas: utilizing vacant land, and building the network of neighborhood resources. • Archdiocese owned school buildings can be repurposed to meet various needs but are best suited for single tenant, multi-use facilities. • A master plan and zoning ordinance can help encourage the implementation of community led open space land uses to stabilize property and beautify the neighborhood. • A vacant housing branding and marketing campaign can help fill in underutilized housing within the neighborhood. • The retail corridor along E. Warren Ave will only be able to succeed after a road diet project. • Additional walking, bicycling, transit, driving, and shared transportation services are needed in the neighborhood.

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Eastside Community Network – Mack Avenue Improvement Plan In 2018, the Mack Avenue Improvement Plan was developed to serve as the strategic framework to guide future investment decisions based on a collective vision for urban design-based economic redevelopment. The study area included Mack Avenue between Conner Avenue to Neff Road, through the cities of Detroit, Grosse Pointe Park, and Grosse Pointe. The Plan contains a design strategy to address physical improvements to each parcel and block in the corridor, a strategy to implement the design improvements, and a phased approach of resource allocation and efforts.

Strategic planning recommendations were based off a market analysis of the study area and survey of physical conditions. These key recommendations include the following:

• Reconvene a Mack Avenue business association and facilitate regular information sessions. • Raise money for technical support and direct investors to partner programs with the capital. • Focus collective effort with community partners on driving investment growth forward. • Keep up corridor monitoring efforts related to public safety, blight and property disposition. The Mack Avenue Improvement Plan identified specific policy and design recommendations to make • Advocate for the corridor to receive more public and private sector Mack Avenue a more vibrant shopping corridor. Source - HamiltonAnderson attention. • Create a formal marketing and branding strategy. • Develop implementation plans for improvements in Phase I areas of the corridor. • Coordinate with the City regarding corridor-length right-of-way improvements

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Mix Tape Zoning Mix Tape zoning is a program from the City of Detroit Planning Department that attempts to transform the City’s complex zoning and land use regulations to reduce the amount of “red tape” typically associated with development projects. The ultimate goal of the Mix Tape zoning process was to help revitalize the City’s commercial corridors and promote excellence in design. By updating the zoning regulations from typical Euclidean standards to more dynamic codes, developers would be able construct more mixed-use and non-traditional buildings that encourage foot traffic and drive redevelopment.

The Mix Tape zoning report and ordinance focused on three case studies around Detroit, including E. Warren Avenue and identified a number of opportunities to make small scale and mixed-use businesses easier to open. The following improvements result from the ordinance:

• Better storefront expression and connection with pedestrians. • Improved mobility and pedestrian experience. • Added security to commercial corridors. • Allow parking, commercial, and residential to work together to create a better community experience. • Spur more infill building and community scaled construction. • Create an easier path to success for small-scale and local businesses. • Create more opportunities for residential development.

East Warren Avenue Streetscape Pilot In 2018, E. Warren Avenue underwent a road diet pilot project to right size the street and make conditions safer for bicyclists and pedestrians. Previously the road was 5 lanes with on-street parking on both sides. Complaints of vehicles traveling too fast, unsafe pedestrian crossing conditions, and the need for an integrated bicycle network prompted the City to redesign the roadway to the current three-lane roadway and Mix Tape Zoning focused on three corridors in Detroit, including E. Warren Avenue, and identified parking protected bike lane. Currently the City of Detroit is evaluating ways to streamline new commercial development and foster walkability. how well the redesign of E. Warren is performing.

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CURRENT PROGRAMS AND POLICIES

The City of Detroit and its partners have a toolbox of programs and policies that are used City-wide to address the challenges related to the four planning topic areas, many of them focusing on reducing blight, stabilizing residential neighborhoods, and attracting new development. The E. Warren/Cadieux Plan’s Steering Committee is made up of staff from the departments and entities responsible for many of these existing improvement programs. A series of interviews were conducted to understand how these tools could be utilized in the Plan’s recommended strategies.

The following is a summary of the available programs and policies the City can build on through this process. The programs specific to the Study Area are expanded on within the Neighborhood Stabilization section in Chapter 3 – Conditions and Trends.

DLBA Building Blocks Building Block is a program run through the Detroit Land Bank Authority to focus property sales on targeted areas, adjacent to stable areas, within neighborhoods and near anchor institutions. The goal is to market and sell properties that will boost the overall value of property in the neighborhood. The October 2019 Building Blocks event in Morningside resulted in the sale of 22 homes.

DLBA Auction and Sales Program The DLBA has an ongoing auction and sales program for properties around the City of Detroit. Buyers of Land Bank property must adhere to strict guidelines to bring property to code and have them occupied within 6 months. This program attracts a wide range of buyers, This home located on 3 Mile Drive, near the 3 Mile- Munich Park, was recently renovated and including many investors. listed on the market through the DLBA’s Rehabbed and Ready program.

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DLBA Nuisance Abatement Program The Nuisance Abatement Program (NAP) was started in 2014 to combat blight and rebuild neighborhoods in specific areas around the City. This program uses lawsuits to secure vacant house and remediate unsafe properties, including suspected drug houses. All of East English Village and the portion of Cornerstone Village east of Balduck Park are included in the program.

U-SNAP-BAC Housing Development U-SNAP-BAC has been in Morningside for 35 years and was primarily a low income housing developer prior to 2014. 130 new homes have been built in the west end of the neighborhood, many of which are owned by neighborhood residents. These homes were constructed in west Morningside near the intersection of Alter Road and Mack City of Detroit Tactical Preservation Avenue by U-SNAP-BAC. Tactical Preservation is a new pilot project being implemented by the City of Detroit to partially reactivate historic structures to serve the community’s need and to stabilize the property. Currently 16119 E. Warren Avenue has been selected for the program and is in the process of identifying funding to active the building with retail or residential uses.

City of Detroit Housing and Revitalization Programs The Housing and Revitalization Department (HRD) typically works with the Planning and Development Department to implement the strategies identified in the Neighborhood Framework Plans by facilitating public private partnerships with developers. HRD has a variety of subsidies, including tax incentives and gap financing assistance, to implement mixed-use developments in commercial corridors. Projects recieving public money that include a residential component are led by HRD.

The Smoken Aces Night Lounge is the first property being targeted for stablization and redevelopment through the Tactical Preservation initiative by the City of Detroit.

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Invest Detroit City of Detroit Street Design Invest Detroit works in partnership with the City of Detroit to implement The Department of Public Works has developed design guidelines for retail and commercial projects in the Strategic Neighborhood Fund various transportation infrastructure items around the City, including (SNF) neighborhoods. Invest Detroit manages the SNF funding and is bus platforms, bike lane markings, bus shelters, and more. These the coordinator for the available philanthropic funding. design guidelines have been used in recent projects around the City, including the redesign of E. Warren in 2018. DEGC Business Liaison Program Other Projects The Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) has a business liaison program established to help small businesses navigate City A number of other community centered projects are present in the processes when getting established. Additionally, the program helps Study Area with the goal of helping to stabilize the neighborhood: connect existing benefits with non-profits and other resources to help them thrive. • 3 Mile – Munich Park “Give a Park, Get a Park – The City of Detroit sold a half-acre decommissioned park along I-94 to nearby residents and in return, the Morningside neighborhood received a new 1.5-acre DEGC Motor City Match and Restore park on the four corners at 3 Mile Drive and Munich Street Motor City Match and Restore are programs designed to connect • Alger Theater – Ongoing activation and restoration of the historic businesses with resources for brick and mortar spaces. Motor City theater, including the rooftop patio Match helps connect existing businesses with commercial space • Jefferson Library – Located next to the Alger Theater, the library was around the City. Motor City Restore is a façade improvement matching recently renovated and reopened to the public grant for businesses that have been open for at least one year. Both • Moross & Mack Mobility and Transit Hub – DDOT and DPW have programs are going through a transition and will be reinstated soon. planned transit stop improvements for the transfer area outside Ascension St. John Hospital • Mack Avenue Streetscape Improvements – Recent infrastructure improvements on the Grosse Pointe side of Mack Ave, east of Alter Road • DWSD Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) – Located at Chandler Park Drive and Canyon Street in Cornerstone Village, DSWD has similar planned improvements at Balduck Park, west along Chandler Park Dr, and at Messmer Playground. • Detroit Vineyards’ – Currently using a vacnt lot in Morningside for a significant urban vineyard within the Barham Greenway Priority Area

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Conditions and Trends

A robust analysis of existing data and future trends was carried out in the neighborhoods to best understand the issues and opportunities that exist in the study area. 3 DRAFT

NEIGHBORHOOD STABILIZATION WHAT WE’VE HEARD SO FAR Three main themes have emerged around the desire for stabilization In the context of this Plan, “neighborhood stabilization” relates through community engagement activities to-date. Participants voiced primarily to two broad strategies: identifying homes that can be brought interest in renovating their properties and receiving more information back to good repair and lived in again, and removing blighted vacant about the resources available to them to do so. We also heard that structures that cannot be rehabilitated and that are having a negative there is interest in exploring paths to home ownership within the effect on the surrounding neighborhood. Neighborhood stabilization Study Area, particularly through more affordable housing options. can also help provide better housing choices for people within the Further, participants communicated their frustration with bad actors; community, both in terms of housing type and options for affordably particularly those who have purchased properties as investments and owning and renting homes. Along with improvements to residential left them in vacant and blighted conditions, which has made it more properties, private and public investments in a community can also difficult to stabilize the surrounding neighborhood. support neighborhood stabilization. More specifically, when asked about their ideas for the future in relation The E. Warren/Cadieux Neighborhood Plan will be an important tool for to stabilization, participants mentioned: continued neighborhood stabilization, identifying where neighborhood stabilization is most needed and how stabilization strategies can have • Enforcement of dumping, blight, and other code violations; the most impact by aligning them with community assets, future • Improved safety in the neighborhood, both traffic and personal investments, and community priorities. property related; • Activating vacant property with temporary uses, green space, home rehabs, and land trusts; • Educate and help homeowners with home renovations; and • Include strategies for affordable housing for both new development and redevelopments. These are themes and topics which we will look to explore through further engagement with the community throughout the Study.

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EXISTING HOUSING CONDITIONS Housing Tenure as Share of Total Housing typology and condition throughout the Study Area varies depending on the specific neighborhood and block. The three Occupied Housing Units, 2019 neighborhoods consist mainly of historic homes with a range of sizes, from smaller bungalows in Cornerstone Village to larger brick Tudors in East English Village and mid-sized homes in Morningside. Michigan 70 30 Pockets of vacancy and blighted homes can be found through all three neighborhoods. Detroit MSA 68 32 Housing Types 91% of the housing in the study area is comprised of detached, single family homes, while the remaining 9% is a mix of duplex and medium 15-Minute PMA 62 38 density multifamily housing options. This is a much higher share compared to the greater Detroit Region, which is made up of 77% single family homes. Study Area 56 44

Within the Study Area, there is a greater share of renter occupied Owned Housing Units Rented Housing Units housing when compared to the 15-minute Primary Market Area and the greater Detroit region. Over 44% of the Study Area is occupied by renters, with 56% of the homes occupied by the owner. This means that the majority of the renters in the E. Warren/Cadieux Study Area are renting existing single family homes. A portion of those renters may Median Home Value (2019) be interested in more compact units that better fit the needs of their 15-Minute Detroit family. Study Area Michigan PMA MSA Home Values

The Study Area has a median home value that is relatively affordable 2019 $52,560 $105,760 $193,250 $172,140 for many buyers, however the value lags behind the 15 Minute Primary Market Area and Detroit Region. The median home value in the whole Study Area is just under $53,000, while the Primary Market 2024 $64,610 $125,890 $217,670 $194,110 Area median home value is close to $106,000. Home values vary (estimated) greatly in the Study Area with East English Village and the east side of Morningside seeing the highest sales prices and assessments. However, the large number of vacant and blighted structures with low Annualized 4.6% 3.8% 2.5% 2.6% values, bring the entire Study Area down. Change

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THIS PLAN WILL BUILD ON NEIGHBORHOOD STABILIZATION EFFORTS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN UNDERTAKEN TO-DATE Successful neighborhood stabilization relies on the combined actions of private and public land owners and non-governmental organizations. Change occurs gradually over time and in specific places. This is particularly true when many blighted properties are privately owned, leaving these owners responsible for making individual decisions on when and how to deal with their properties.

There is also a mutually-reinforcing relationship between community investments and neighborhood stabilization: public investment helps to increase interest in specific neighborhood areas and increase property values, while integrating more residents near recent investments ensures that they are being used to their fullest potential.

Fortunately, there are already a number of recent and planned initiatives in the E. Warren/Cadieux area that have the potential to support neighborhood stabilization efforts (Figure 1). While Section 2 has provided a summary overview of many stabilization initiatives to-date, the following section provides further detail on non-profit and community-based initiatives outlined on Figure 1, as well as an overview of the role of the City and private landowners in stabilization. A vineyard was recently planted in Morningside on vacant land, helping to stabilize the neighborhood, and will produce grapes for a local winemaker.

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Non-Profit and Community-Based Stabilization Efforts The most significant non-profit or community-based neighborhood stabilization interventions in the Study Area have taken place in Morningside, where both U-SNAP-BAC and Habitat for Humanity Detroit developed significant tracts of new and renovated homes until 2013-2014. Prior to the wave of foreclosures that Detroit experienced in 2013-2014, U-SNAP- BAC rehabbed over 500 homes, including owner-occupied and rental housing in Morningside Commons on the western side of Morningside, south of Warren Ave (Figure 1).

Additionally, Habitat for Humanity built and renovated over 100 housing units in the western portion of Morningside south of Warren Ave, primarily on Lakepointe, Maryland and Wayburn Streets (Figure 1).

Both organizations had planned to further develop in the Study Area, but ceased activity following the most recent market collapse in 2013-2014. There are currently no non-profit organizations developing or renovating residential properties in the Study Area at the scale of U-SNAP-BAC and Habitat for Humanity Detroit prior to the last market downturn. Figure 1: Boundaries and locations for neighborhood stabilization initiatives recently implemented and planned within the Study Area

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However, U-SNAP-BAC is currently facilitating home repair grants for In addition to this, side lots and vacant lots have been converted into homeowners and providing counseling services to community members parks and green infrastructure, as seen through the 3 Mile – Munich facing foreclosure, and also serves as a community partner on many of Park and the DWSD Green Stormwater Infrastructure at Chandler Park DLBA’s neighborhood stabilization programs in Morningside. Drive and Canyon Street in Cornerstone Village, with similar planned improvements at Balduck Park, west along Chandler Park Dr, and at Despite this reduction in activity, there have been smaller tangential Messmer Playground. initiatives taken in recent years which have also contributed to stabilization. One proposed neighborhood stabilization strategy is the Similarly, other initiatives have developed community anchors and Greenway priority area concept which emerged from the non-profit and facilities within the Study Area, which are important for building community sector. The vision for the Greenway priority area is a green community resiliency and social infrastructure. On-going activation spine centered on Barham Street that would re-use vacant parcels and restoration of the Alger Theater continues to serve as an anchor for cycling and walking paths, storm water management applications, for activity along the E. Warren corridor, which in turn benefits the and areas for recreation. The Greenway priority area was in large part surrounding neighborhoods. Opportunities for establishing additional a response to the pervasive problem of dumping along Barham Street community anchors can be further explored through rehabilitation and other nearby blocks. Although the Greenway Priority Area is still in of vacant DLBA properties. For example, a blighted home in the the conceptual stage, Detroit Vineyards has planted an urban vineyard Fitzgerald neighborhood was renovated and converted to an early on a former vacant lot at the south end of the Morningside within the childhood education center through the Rehabbed and Ready program. Greenway Study Area, with the support of U-SNAP-BAC. Embedding community anchors throughout the neighborhoods will support residential rehabilitation activities in stabilizing the Study Area neighborhoods.

Together, these initiatives increase sustainability and resiliency within neighborhoods while introducing new community amenities and gathering spaces which increase activity, and thus help stabilize the surrounding neighborhood. There may be opportunities to leverage improvements such as these – as well as others highlighted in Section 2, and Figure 1 – to support residential-focused neighborhood stabilization efforts. Additionally, these types of investments may encourage more organic stabilization even where targeted property improvement programs are not taking place.

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CITY-RUN NEIGHBORHOOD STABILIZATION The majority of DLBA property sales are opportunistic with respect to which properties are made available. The DLBA lists the properties PROGRAMS that are most likely to attract buyers, and therefore transition from The Detroit Land Bank Authority is a City agency with a mission to public ownership into productive use. However, the DLBA is also return the city’s blighted and vacant properties to productive use. able to target specific properties and residential areas in order to The DLBA has acquired 2,639 residential properties in the E. Warren- quickly promote stabilization there. Through the Rehabbed and Cadieux Study Area as a result of foreclosures, and is now the single Ready program (a collaboration between DLBA, Quicken Loans and largest land owner and neighborhood stabilization actor here. To The Home Depot) houses on stable blocks that are too blighted to support neighborhood stabilization, the DLBA uses a variety of sales attract buyers are renovated and then listed at competitive prices and programs; compliance and nuisance abatement programs; and targeted heavily promoted to buyers. Through the Building Blocks program, demolition of blighted buildings. the DLBA can also highlight clusters of City-owned properties that are near existing stabilized areas or community anchors. For example, in Facilitating Property Sales October 2019 the DLBA organized a Building Blocks event marketing The DLBA’s Auction and Own-It-Now programs are generally intended a cluster of properties in the area around 3 Mile-Munich Park (Figure to attract buyers who will quickly renovate and either occupy or 1 ). By highlighting the recent park investment and demonstrating the rent out residences. This has the combined benefits of increasing stability of the area, the Building Block event resulted in the sale of 22 housing options, retaining or attracting neighborhood residents, properties, which will likely further stabilize the area. and rehabilitating structures that would otherwise slide further into An important component of this Plan will be to identify where DLBA disrepair and continue to have a blighting effect on the neighborhood. property sales might be focused in order to support neighborhood stabilization in areas where it is needed most, or where stabilization can support commercial activity and other neighborhood objectives.

Discouraging Bad Actors The DLBA’s Nuisance Abatement Program (NAP) is a method the City uses to limit the effects of bad actors that destabilize the neighborhood. Through the NAP, the DLBA files lawsuits against owners of vacant properties and properties identified as suspected drug houses. The Nuisance Abatement Program has been recently expanded to generally cover all of the East English Village neighborhood and the easternmost portion of Cornerstone Village (Figure 2).

To discourage property speculation and the neglect of purchased DLBA properties, the DLBA has a strict compliance program which requires purchasers to demonstrate progress towards renovation and occupancy according to specific timelines. The DLBA does not release the deed for the property until those timelines are met and also works to enable efficient development opportunities while preventing large- Before and after of a Detroit Land Bank Authotity Rehabbed and Ready home. (Source: Quicken Loans)

Chapter Three: Conditions and Trends \\ 31 3 DRAFT

scale introduction of outside developers. To do this, the DLBA permits Preventing Blight on Properties the sale of bundled properties to enable multi-unit development such as row or town houses, but the bundles are limited to nine properties. Many abandoned homes become so blighted that they are beyond repair. If left unattended, they contribute to blight by creating an unattractive and potentially unsafe environment; enable dumping, Figure 2: Enforcement areas for the DLBA’s Nuisance Abatement Program (NAP), shown in purple trespassing and vandalism; and depress neighboring land values.

Recognizing this, the City has played an active role in removing abandoned structures in neighborhoods across Detroit, and there are currently 38 structures slated for demolition in the Study Area (Figure 6). Moving forward, Federal funding challenges will limit the extent of demolitions in the Study Area; beginning in July 2020, the City will be targeting demolition efforts to properties that have the highest potential to stabilize neighborhoods once cleared, including emergency demolitions, homes between two occupied structures, and homes adjacent to a school, park, or recreation center.

When structures are cleared from abandoned properties, the property must still be maintained to prevent overgrowth and dumping. To enable community participation in activating and maintaining cleared vacant lots, the DLBA has created the Side Lot Program, which allows home owners to purchase neighboring vacant lots for $100 if they agree to maintain them. There is also the potential to use cleared abandoned properties for more extensive community uses or community agriculture (like the Detroit Vineyards example noted above), or to create new open spaces and green linkages. The 3 Mile-Munich “Give-a-Park, Get-a- Park” is an example in the Study Area of converting undesirable corner lots into a new community park that activates the area and helps to stabilize the neighborhood.

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THE ROLE OF PRIVATE LANDOWNERS Private land owners play a critical role in neighborhood stabilization. When markets are balanced, their individual efforts to improve and maintain properties can organically keep a neighborhood stabilized. Unfortunately, when real estate markets are unbalanced and the cost of keeping a property occupied is higher than the income from rents or sales, new buyers avoid the market and existing property owners may neglect or abandon their properties. These properties become blighted and are beyond the influence of the community and the City, for the most part.

Much of the vacant land in the Study Area is privately owned: of the 3,258 vacant lots, 30% are owned privately (as depicted in Figure 6 below). As discussed below, there are higher concentrations of vacant private property in some parts of the Study Area than others. Until market conditions change significantly, these private properties pose a significant challenge to neighborhood stabilization, particularly when they are clustered together.

Blighted homes and vacant lots within the Study Area, which create significant challenges for stabilization

This Plan can support effective neighborhood stabilization by identifying abandoned properties near existing or future community assets. The targeted removal of structures on those specific properties will help to stabilize neighborhood areas that need it most; ensuring that new or recent community investments have the biggest possible catalytic effect by not being diminished by blight; and creating opportunities for community engagement, open space and connections.

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MARKET DEMAND FOR ADDITIONAL UNITS IN THE STUDY AREA Helping existing residents stay in the Study Area and 1 Person 2 People 3 People 4 People 5+ People encouraging new residents to move there are important for 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% continued neighborhood development. A stable or growing residential population helps the community thrive by creating a sense of vibrancy and safety, supporting local business, Household Size 29% 31% maintaining a strong real estate market, and encouraging well- 15% 14% 11% maintained homes.

The population of the Study Area—as with rest of the City —has 2% been declining for decades. While the rate of population decline Bedrooms 5% 23% 56% 14% is beginning to flatten, E. Warren/Cadieux is still expected to decrease by approximately 520 people between 2019 and 2024. Even so, this plan’s market analysis suggests that there is pent 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% up demand for quality housing within the 15-minute Primary Market Area (PMA) around East Warren/Cadieux, and that the 1 or Less Bdr 2 Bdr 3 Bdr 4 Bdr 5+ Bdr area could accommodate between 270 and 545 units by 2029, Figure 3 Household size versus unit size within the Study Area, 2017 (4Ward Market Analysis Report) through substantial rehabilitation of existing housing and some new development. That potential demand represents a potential market for approximately 54 new or rehabilitated units per year.

The market analysis also indicates that capturing the maximum residential demand from the 15-minute PMA requires providing housing in the locations and types that are most in demand. In particular, new residential demand will be attracted to housing that is close to VACANT PROPERTY DISTRIBUTION amenities such as a thriving retail main street. This creates a strong There are vacant properties in every neighborhood in the Study relationship between the success and vibrancy of the East Warren Area, but the highest concentrations exist in the western portions corridor and adjacent neighborhood stabilization. Also, the fact that of Morningside, north and south of E, Warren Avenue. Streets such there are currently more 1- and 2-person households in the Study Area as Beaconsfield Street, Barham Street, and Lakepointe Street have while the majority of houses provide 3 or more bedrooms (Figure 3), several blocks that are almost completely vacant. There are more DLBA indicates that there may be the potential to attract residential demand properties within these clusters than private properties, but there by providing new housing options that do not currently exist in the are significant stretches of privately-owned vacant land that create Study Area. This might include smaller units for people looking to particular challenges. The southern end of Barham Street, for example, downsize, or low-maintenance units for people who do not want the up- has seen years of neglect and dumping on the abandoned private keep required for a typical single-family home. More detailed analysis properties there. The dumping has prevented re-investment in the will be performed in the second half of this study to establish where, properties because the costs of cleaning the sites is too high (Figure 4). how much and in what form new housing options should be created.

34 // City of Detroit: East Warren / Cadieux Neighborhood Framework Plan DRAFT 3

Figure 4: Vacant properties within the Study Area

There are also significant pockets of vacant land in Cornerstone Village, particularly northeast of Messmer Playground, along the western border of Balduck Park, and in an area centered on Neff Ave north of Southampton St. These clusters consist mainly of DLBA- owned properties, though there are several vacant private properties, particularly in the southern portion of the neighborhood.

All clusters of vacant land create challenges for neighborhood stabilization, but in general publicly owned properties present greater opportunity to renovate or market them for sale, encourage their maintenance as side lots, or potentially use them as community spaces or connections. It is more difficult to affect change on private land, but demolitions and nuisance abatement can limit their blighting effects, and targeted investments in nearby community assets may over time create a market environment that will enable their return to productive use.

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TRENDS IN PRIVATE AND DLBA-OWNED

PROPERTIES Figure 5: Public and private residential sales within Looking at trends in property sales the Study Area (2014 – Present) is helpful in understanding how housing demand has been met and where property sales have and have not been contributing to neighborhood stabilization. Property sales data since 2014 reveals that there have been 2,495 total sales and an average of approximately 365 sales annually in the Study Area. These sales have been spread relatively evenly throughout the Study Area, except in the western portion of Morningside where sales have been considerably lower (Figure 5).

The vast majority have been private sales, which made up 87%. A comparison of the location of sales, illustrated in Figure 4, with the location of remaining vacant lands (Figure 4) indicates that most buyers since 2014 have chosen relatively move-in-ready homes and not vacant or very blighted properties.

In contrast to the large numbers of private property sales, Figure 6 Public Sales shows the sale of DLBA properties has made up 13% of overall sales Private Sales since 2014. On average, the DLBA has sold approximately 45

36 // City of Detroit: East Warren / Cadieux Neighborhood Framework Plan DRAFT 3

properties annually. Similar to private sales, the sale of City-owned lands generally started in areas of highest demand, with sales in Figure 6: DLBA Sales by Year other areas following gradually with time. Earliest sales appear to have occurred in East English Village, which is also the neighborhood with most sales throughout this entire six-year period. Over time, these sales have moved outward into the Cornerstone Village and Morningside neighborhoods. In fact, most recent sales activity (2020 sales) have been observed closer to the western and southeastern boundaries of the Study Area.

While hundreds of properties are sold and occupied on average each year in the Study Area, this volume of sales will not necessarily meet the potential demand for net new housing, which would contribute to further neighborhood stabilization and economic activity in Study Area. Further, the pattern of private and DLBA property sales seems to that buyers have primarily been attracted to areas that were already relatively stable, and that the properties in best condition may now be less available. Accommodating demand for net new housing units may therefore have to take place in areas where the market is not as strong and properties have remained vacant (Figure 4).

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These properties also have an impact on the sense of safety and KEY TAKEAWAYS community connectedness in some areas, since there are fewer people on those streets to create a vibrant neighborhood condition or to keep Based on these findings and the mechanisms available through an eye out for what is happening on their street. Poorly maintained this Plan, the following takeaways are important for neighborhood properties can also make neighborhoods feel less safe, and in some stabilization and should inform the implementation strategies of the cases are used for illegal dumping which leads to contamination. Plan: These impacts are distressing for neighboring residents. This Plan will prioritize areas most impacted by neighborhood blight, with different There is the potential for the Study area to capture 25 to 55 net strategies for publicly- and privately-owned lots. new units of housing per year by 2029, which would support stabilization and economic activity in E. Warren/Cadieux.

Attracting new residential demand will depend on creating quality housing options near the E. Warren commercial corridor and other neighborhood amenities. This will require both rehabilitation of existing stock and new housing development that meets specific preferences.

Attracting new residential demand near the E. Warren corridor will also be essential for supporting its economic success and the range of commercial amenities available in the Study Area.

Annual property sales in the Study Area have been strong, but have taken place in the areas that were already most stable. Spreading stabilization to areas where demand is lower will require focused strategies.

Most private market activity has focused on the already stable areas of the neighborhood. Because of this, public investment is needed in the more unstable portions of the Study Area to encourage new private market investment in these areas. The DLBA’s Rehabbed and Ready and Building Blocks marketing efforts can be important tools for encouraging the spread of stabilization beyond the most in-demand areas where homes will otherwise be sold first.

Neighborhood blight remains a significant depressive factor in the Study Area.

The cumulative impact of 3,258 vacant homes and lots across the Study Area presents the largest concern for neighborhood stabilization. These vacant properties have a direct impact on market trends, lowering desirability and investment within neighborhoods.

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The most significant remaining clusters of vacant land are in Morningside and Cornerstone Village. They include both public and private property. Abandoned private properties present the most significant challenge as there is no community of City site control.

This Plan can identify areas where targeted demolition efforts by the City as well as potential expansion or the application of a Nuisance Abatement Program may help to reduce the blighting effect of some private properties. Support of long-term stabilization of areas with concentrations of vacant private land can help indicate where focused community investments may contribute to better market conditions and eventual property investments by private owners.

There is an opportunity to align and target neighborhood stabilization efforts where they can have a positive relationship with other Plan objectives.

The success and stability of neighborhoods can be affected by a number of factors including the mix of housing, proximity to amenities such as a strong retail main street and strength of local community facilities.

The many anchors and recent and planned investments in the community can help to improve demand in the neighborhoods around them, and provide helpful starting points for strategically focusing neighborhood stabilization efforts.

Neighborhood stabilization efforts should also be targeted to complement other objectives of this Plan, particularly those with the potential to contribute to stronger residential demand and neighborhood stability. This includes:

• Supporting areas of new retail through increased occupancy, residential densities and improved housing conditions in areas proximate to retail; • Leveraging new housing and the availability of vacant land to deliver new community open space; and, • Leveraging vacant land to support park and green space objectives by converting vacant lots to activated green spaces or new green gateways to existing parks. • Targeting neighborhood stabilization efforts where they can support and strengthen existing community destinations.

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COMMERCIAL AND MIXED-USE WHAT WE’VE HEARD SO FAR The general consensus from the community is that the neighborhood DEVELOPMENT wants E. Warren to have the business density it use to have. Many residents attribute the character and identity of the neighborhood to a E. Warren Avenue has long been the commercial hub for the E. Warren/ vibrant E. Warren. The neighborhood voiced interest in a number new Cadieux neighborhood and first took shape as the City expanded out retail options, including a healthy food market, more dining options, with the rise in industrialization. By the late 1920s, the commercial and a focus on locally owned businesses. There appears to be an corridor had been established with a strong network of local businesses entrepreneurial spirit in the neighborhood and the community would that served Morningside, East English Village, and Cornerstone Village. like to see spaces that help business owners from the neighborhood The number of businesses along Warren Avenue grew exponentially get started, including maker spaces, commercial kitchens, and over the following decades. Changes in industrialization and the City other spaces where locals can try out an idea before making a large as a whole, the corridor began to decline in 1970s and 80s through the investment. Great Recession. Participants who attended the community meetings voiced an interest The changing market conditions associated with retail, employment, in the following: and demographics in the neighborhood, and Detroit ongoing resurgence is dictating how new commercial and mixed-use • New infill development along E. Warren on vacant land; development will fit on E. Warren Avenue. A market study and other • Activation of vacant storefronts; corridor level analyses were performed to understand how to best • Targeting retail investment in the area around the Alger Theater; activate the E. Warren corridor with new development. • Wanting to feel safe when accessing businesses on foot or by bike; • Improving the cleanliness of the street and upkeep of properties; • Ensuring adequate parking is available These are themes and topics which we will look to explore through further engagement with the community throughout the Study.

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COMMERCIAL MARKET ANALYSIS COMMERCIAL CORRIDOR ACTIVATION A market analysis was completed to explore the needs of the Focusing new multi-family housing on the E. Warren corridor will make neighborhood, along with what the study area can support. new neighborhood retail more viable by building on the “retail follows Socioeconomic, labor and industry trends were analyzed to understand rooftops” concept. The Market Analysis determined that up to 540 new the near- and long-term regional demand drivers and identify the housing units could be warranted in the neighborhood over the next market-receptive land uses in the Study Area. The Market Study decade and apportioning some of that demand on or near the corridor focused on data primarily from the project Study Area, the Primary would provide spillover benefits to new and existing businesses. By Market Area (PMA), and the Detroit Metropolitan Statistical Area adding an additional 1,000 residents to the heart of the corridor, E. (MSA). The economic data analyzed was compiled in December 2019 Warren Avenue can become an 18-hour neighborhood. Based on the and does not consider the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The regional market conditions, new housing and mixed-use development findings of the market serve as a powerful tool for identifying strategic along the corridor would likely consist of a three- or four-story wood project recommendations within the study area. frame development with retail on the ground floor, apartments above, and parking at the rear.

Housing and building type will be important to providing flexible, affordable, and successful space that can cater to a large subset of the market. Through the majority of the corridor, retail spaces exist at the street level, however few residential units are available on E. Warren. Incorporating building types with ground floor space that could be utilized as residential or commercial space is a way to provide needed flexibility in this relatively untested market and bring new residents to the corridor. Additionally, incorporating new residential housing types near E. Warren, different from the single-family homes that are common in the study area, is another strategy for attracting the maximum amount of residential demand from the PMA.

91% of the housing in the Study Area is comprised of Single Family homes. Adding other residential types to the neighborhoods will help increase its desirability.

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The study area is likely to thrive on a subsidized, non-traditional retail Overall, the study area is not a prime location for large scale office strategy that focuses on local businesses and neighborhood support. development, but there is likely demand for small scale office space. Initially, development efforts should be focused in a concentrated Over 555,000 square feet of medical office space will be needed in area that incorporates small, affordable personal service shops and the State due to growth in health care and social assistance fields. food-related businesses that create a unique retail identity. Serving Building on the corridor’s proximity to St. John Hospital, 3-5% (17,000 neighborhood needs while bringing in visitors will bolster E. Warren as to 28,000 square feet) of that could be captured on E. Warren. The an urban shopping destination. This Plan will concentrate commercial Corridor’s proximity to St. John Hospital makes it a prime location and mixed-use development efforts in the area where the market has for the addition of health and wellness related businesses, including currently enabled businesses to succeed both to capitalize on existing doctors offices, physical therapy centers, fitness centers, health food market forces and build on the success of the existing businesses. stores, and others. Beyond the core retail zone, development efforts will need to come from grassroots support and non-traditional formats.

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Similar to many commercial corridors in Detroit, E. Warren Avenue STUDY AREA COMMERCIAL NODES configured during a time of different economics, population, and The E. Warren/Cadieux Study Area contains a number of commercial shopping trends. As these have all changed over the years, rethinking areas, specifically on the major east/west streets of Harper Avenue, how E. Warren is designed and operates will be key to its future Mack Avenue, and E. Warren Avenue. Harper Avenue contains a strip of success. The long, linear commercial corridor will need to be focused more auto oriented retail while a commercial node is also emerging at into smaller retail nodes to better serve the shopping needs of the Mack Avenue and Alter Road. Both of these areas are more established neighborhoods. Collaboration between businesses is important in than E. Warren and benefit from the proximity to other neighborhoods executing a focused retail strategy. Businesses and property owners and communities. The E. Warren commercial corridor is the longest of need support in the form of education and professional assistance to the three, the most assessable by the three neighborhoods, and where thrive. Creating a unique commercial district brand for E. Warren will the City of Detroit holds the most site control to spur redevelopment. help it stand out in the region and should build on the history of the neighborhoods. These recommendations all center around the need for E. WARREN CORRIDOR COMMERCIAL ZONES a unique, walkable, and connected main street within a more compact Much of E. Warren Avenue is defined by traditional Main Street footprint along E. Warren. type buildings that are remnants from when the corridor was the major shopping district in the area. Many of these buildings were constructed in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s when auto use was still growing, the neighborhood population was higher, and walkable retail was a necessity. Over the years, additional building types have been introduced, many of which are more auto oriented and less conducive to walkability.

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Cornwall St Cornwall St Cornwall St C Cornwall St a Cornwall St lv in A v Highly walkable retail nodes along E. Warren should be established to maximize the success of businesses in the Study Area. Between these nodes, residential, office, and other uses could be use to activiate the street. e

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The existing land uses and building typologies along the corridor lend Figure 7: The E. Warren Avenue corridor can be broken down into five distinct themselves to the formation of distinct zones based on their land use, activation, and adjacent residential vacancy areas that each present their own opportunities and challenges. Starting from the west end of the corridor at Alter Road, E. Warren Avenue can be broken down into five unique zones (Figure 7):

• Commercial corridor with many vacant storefronts and open land and abutted by an area of high residential vacancies • Contiguous Main Street with many vacant buildings but less open land and abutted by a neighborhood with fewer residential vacancies • Main Street with fewer vacant buildings and gaps, abutted by a strong residential neighborhood • Transitioning Main Street to more auto oriented, surrounded by a neighborhood with some residential vacancy • Landscaped commercial parkway with few vacancies

44 // City of Detroit: East Warren / Cadieux Neighborhood Framework Plan DRAFT X3

Main Street Institutional ‘Resi-Mercial’ Small Box Auto Oriented • 0’-2’ Setback • Variable Setback • 0’-10’ Setback • 0’-1’ Setback • 5’ Minimum Setback • 1-2 Stories • 1-2 Stories • 1 Story • 1 Story • 1 Story • Doors facing street • Residential character • Entrance facing parking lot • Front vehicle access

Figure 8: Building typologies along the E. Warren corridor vary from auto oriented to main street. The central part of the corridor, around Outer Drive contains the greatest concentration of Main Street buildings.

Taking each of these zones into account, a core area begins to emerge and provide a valuable need for the residents in the neighborhood. that contains the “lowest hanging fruit” in terms of new commercial These stores are similar to the traditional main street buildings but with and mixed-use development. The areas between Devonshire Road adjacent parking lots and front entrances that are oriented toward the on the west and Guilford Street on the east contain the greatest mix parking area. of traditional Main Street buildings, existing businesses, continuous structures on both sides of the street, existing businesses, adjacent Throughout E. Warren Avenue a mix of other building types and distributed, some in higher concentrations in specific parts of the corridor. stable residential areas, and public ownership. This section touches These include: all three neighborhoods and would likely present the best chance for success of new development in the Study Area. • “Resi-mercial” – Commercial buildings with a distinct residential design character. These are typically 1 story and are set back about 10 The core retail area contains the highest concentration of traditional feet from the sidewalk. main street buildings, which provide the most opportunity in terms of • Institutional – Churches and other cultural organizations are typically redevelopment due to their historic character, siting, and adaptability. larger than the existing commercial development. Set backs and These buildings are typically one to two stories, have little to no setback architectural style vary through the corridor. from the sidewalk, and consist of ground floor windows and doors • Auto Oriented – Auto repair and other businesses that feature a that open onto the street. This building type is important to fostering parking area in front of the building. These buildings have a larger walkable places along E. Warren. setback and are typically only one story.

The core area also contains a few “small box” stores that act as everyday activity generators for the corridor. The existing grocery store and hardware store bring people to E. Warren Avenue every day

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Figure 9: Based on the concentration of existing businesses, public site control, and traditional main street buildings, the center of the corridor is best presented to receiving public investment to spur additional private investment.

• The ‘Core Area’ consists of a block depth that will support new DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES construction and leave space for resident and tenant parking. Overlaying the existing businesses, public site control, building • There are opportunities to rehabilitate existing properties that build typologies, and surrounding neighborhood vacancy rate, an opportunity upon the neighborhood’s history and character while adding infill zone for retail begins to emerge with the ‘Core Area’. This stretch of the development to open sites. E. Warren corridor extends outward from the Alger Theater and touches • A contiguous alley allows for rear access to buildings for parking and all three neighborhoods. Secondary areas on the ends of the corridor deliveries, keeping the building street wall continuous. represent areas for future investment and could be utilized now by • The broad right-of-way provides ample space to redesign the street to activating with non-traditional strategies such as maker spaces, light complement new commercial and mixed-use development. industrial, or full residential developments.

Within the ‘Core Area’ of the E. Warren corridor, there are a number of opportunities to support both the redevelopment of existing structures and development of new mixed-use buildings. The following assets of the corridor can be used to attract new development and redevelopment to the corridor:

46 // City of Detroit: East Warren / Cadieux Neighborhood Framework Plan DRAFT 3

Public investment in the commercial corridor should be KEY TAKEAWAYS concentrated in an 8-10 block area to best support existing and The evaluation of the existing commercial land use conditions along future developments. E. Warren Avenue provided valuable insight into the opportunities and challenges along the corridor. The following takeaways were collected Due to the relatively weak market conditions in the neighborhood, through the analysis phase and will inform the development of the Stra- public investment in commercial development should support the tegic Opportunities Framework: area where the strongest market conditions exist. This, however, is Concentrating new multifamily housing near E. Warren will provide not enough to fully catalyze the corridor. Co-locating businesses and the greatest benefit to supporting new and existing commercial residential developments near each other in a walkable district is development while also locating new residents near existing essential to bringing a diversity of users to E. Warren Avenue, with the amenities. hope that visitors will stop at multiple businesses while walking through the district. Retail along E. Warren Avenue will benefit from an increased residential population as this will add to the total available “spending power” of Since both public site control and many of the historic, mixed-use the corridor. New housing, especially mixed-use developments with buildings that are desirable for redevelopment are concentrated in the housing over commercial or community spaces, will fit best along E. center of the corridor, investment in the structures located on either Warren Avenue as the neighborhoods on either side are typically single- side of Outer Drive will be targeted first. family homes and not zoned for higher density development. Additional Opportunities for rehab, infill, and larger mixed-use development residences with flexible ground floor units should also be considered for exist on the corridor the E. Warren Corridor. Vacant land, undeveloped sites, and buildings unable to be rehabbed Housing and residents living along E. Warren Avenue will benefit from present opportunities to construct new multi-story, mixed-use buildings the proximity of existing and future amenities in the neighborhood, along E. Warren. Notable sites include the north side of E. Warren including public transit routes, bicycle facilities, and neighborhood between Bishop and Grayton Streets, the Arthur Murray Dance Studio shops and services. New housing could also be constructed with Transit building, and the southwest corner of E. Warren and Audubon. The Oriented Development and future streetscape upgrades in mind, specific design details and uses of these sites will likely take the form of enhancing the connection between the street and built environment. three-story, stick built buildings with a mix of uses. Uses will be market The market exists for additional housing types and sizes along the driven but also by the community’s voice through this planning process, corridor to complement the Main Street, including apartments, which will be included in future RFPs. townhouses, condos, and other “missing middle” housing.

The majority of housing in the E. Warren/Cadieux Study Area is comprised of single-family homes and adding new residential housing types is another strategy for attracting the maximum amount of residential demand from the PMA. A diversity of housing choices increases the potential number of people who could move to the neighborhood and stay in the neighborhood.

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E. WARREN RENOVATION

E. Warren Avenue is the main commercial corridor and transportation route through the E. Warren/Cadieux neighborhood. Historically, E. Warren Avenue was a major retail oriented main street for the residential neighborhoods that exist on either side of the street. Over the years as Detroit lost population, as the neighborhoods changed, and the retail landscape changed, E. Warren changed with it. The priorities of the community have changed to include a more walkable, multi- modal focused street, while still balancing parking for small businesses along the corridor.

To best understand the constraints, issues, and opportunities of E. Warren Avenue, a variety of transportation and infrastructure conditions were assessed. This assessment formed the basis of the recommended locations for improvements detailed in the Strategic Opportunities Framework WHAT WE’VE HEARD SO FAR Through the first half of the planning process, the community has made it well known that the bike lanes are not designed correctly. Many do not like the new street format that narrowed the roadway to three lanes because of the confusion it has caused around parking and where bikes go. Few members of the community have mentioned an increase in traffic.

Through the Phase 1 and 2 engagement, the community indicated they would like to see the following:

• Balance E. Warren as a place for people to be and a major transportation route; • Redesign E. Warren for all users; cars, bikes, pedestrians, scooters, and more; • Create a safer, more comfortable street to walk, bike, and shop; • Preserve parking on E. Warren for local businesses; • Add street trees, planting, and other greenery to the corridor. The parking protected bike lanes provide ample space for bicyclists to ride safely, but also are wide enough for vehicles to park in, blocking the way for cyclists.

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EXISTING Figure 10: E. Warren Avenue is the main transportation corridor TRANSPORTATION in the Study Area and has multiple modes running along it. CONDITIONS As one of the main transportation corridors in the neighborhood, E. Warren Avenue traverses the entire city and connects the neighborhood to areas west. As a major transportation route, E. Warren carries a similar amount of traffic to other east/west arterial streets in the City with about 12,000 vehicles per day.

The Detroit Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) Route 8 Warren runs along E. Warren, terminating at St. John Hospital at Mack and Moross. Route 8 is one of DDOT’s ConnectTen routes that run 24 hours per day, 7 days a week and averages over 1 million riders per year. Within the Study Area, high ridership stops are located at Moross, Cadieux, Haverhill, and Alter and connect with the nearby activity centers located in the neighborhood.

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Overall, E. Warren Avenue does not experience a large number of traffic crashes when compared to other places in the City of Detroit. However, crash ‘hot spots’ do appear at specific intersections along the corridor. Between 2014 and 2018, 328 crashes were recorded along E. Warren Ave between Alter Road and Mack Avenue. Nearly 300 of those crashes happened west of Guilford Street, where the street was 5 lanes wide (until the recent road diet pilot project). 40% of the crashes along the corridor happened at just 5 intersections: Alter, Nottingham, 3 Mile, Outer, and Cadieux.

Bicycle facilities in the Study Area are limited to the existing parking protected bike lanes on E. Warren Avenue that begin at Cadieux Road and extend past the Study Area to St. Jean Street. East of Cadieux Road, a sharrow lane is marked on E. Warren. Although the bike lanes The bike lanes on E. Warren Ave start at Guiford Rd and continue outside the Study Area to St. are marketed toward a specific street user, they do provide additional Jean St benefits to other non-motorized users of the street. By narrowing the vehicular portion of the street, crossing distances are reduced and vehicles drive slower creating a safer place for pedestrians to walk and cross the street. A design that prioritizes all non-motorized users would be beneficial in making the street comfortable for all users. Plans for additional bicycle infrastructure have been planned at a regional level, but the area is missing north-south connections and wayfinding through the neighborhoods (Figure 10).

The community has had mixed reactions to the redesign of E. Warren Avenue, citing a reduction in parking, more congestion, and uncomfortable on-street parking. Other community members like the slower traffic speeds and dedicated space for bicycles. However, the bike lanes are wide enough that some people are parking in the bike lanes rather than the dedicated spaces.

Pedestrian crossing conditions can be challenging on E. Warren due to the speed of vehicles and the lack of dedicated crossing infrastructure.

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PARKING Figure 11: The area along E. Warren with the highest concentration of INVENTORY parking is the five blocks west of Outer Drive. Throughout the corridor, As a commercial corridor, most blocks average about 10 total spaces. E. Warren Avenue needs to balance space for parking and storing vehicles with providing space for pedestrians and cyclists accessing the businesses along the corridor. In order for the street to be successful, both in terms of transportation and retail development, parking must be balanced with the other users.

An inventory of all on-street parking along the E. Warren corridor was collected better understand where future supply may be needed (Figure 11). Most blocks along the corridor average about 10 parking spaces, depending on the number of curb-cuts and where the transit stops are located.

The area with the highest amount of existing parking is between Devonshire Road and Outer Drive. These blocks average 32 spaces

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per block, mostly due to the existence of angled parking areas on the These parking assets also present an opportunity to provide spaces to intersecting streets. Each parking area adds an additional 7 spaces per be activated by temporary uses along the corridor, specifically in the side of the street, contributing up to 28 parking spaces to a block in a design present at Corville Road and E. Warren Avenue. This area pushes relatively small footprint. the side-aligned parking away from the sidewalks and to the center of the street presenting an option for local vendors to set up when parking Much of the west side of the corridor, through Morningside, there are is in less demand or when community festivities are taking place. opportunities to introduce additional side aligned parking areas. Past Similar active uses could be applied to the other parking areas along the Devonshire Road, these areas are more informal, partly paved, or have corridor as well. been landscaped. Each side-aligned parking area adds an additional 7 parking spaces to the block, in a much smaller footprint. If all four sides of an intersection contain these parking facilities, 28 additional spaces are added to the block. As additional parking or convertible spaces are needed, these areas can be converted.

Angled parking areas are available along the side streets between Devonshire Road to Outer Drive. Additional publicly owned land is available to add new parking assets to the corridor.

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corridor. Much of the corridor is devoid of proper street trees, however EXISTING RIGHT-OF-WAY AND UTILITIES pockets exist along the E. Warren specifically between Balfour Road and E. Warren Avenue consists of a relatively wide right-of-way that Chatsworth Street. Sidewalk pavement conditions through the corridor provides space for at least four different travel modes: automobiles, vary but appear to be in greater need of repair through the core area of public transit, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Prior to 2018, the street the E. Warren Avenue. consisted of five travel lanes (two east-bound, two west-bound, and one center turn), traditional bike lanes, and curbside on-street parking. An exploration into the underground utilities along the corridor helped Continuing the City-wide initiative to make streets safer for non- determine where they are located and if they would interfere with future motorized users, the street was repaved and restriped to its current tree planting. Utility information from the Detroit Water and Sewerage configuration of three travel lanes, bike lanes next to the curb, and a Department (DWSD), DTE Energy, Comcast cable, and other major floating parking lane. The existing traffic volumes on E. Warren did not utility entities were consulted and mapped along the corridor. Most of warrant a five-lane cross section and the redesigned roadway helps the utilities in the corridor exist at the curb line, making tree planting in slow vehicles down to make non-motorized travel safer (Figure 12). the existing configuration an expensive endeavor. The aforementioned planters were used as tree planters over the years to reduce the need Between Devonshire Road and Outer Drive, large concrete planters for expensive curb modification (Figure 12). were installed in an attempt to provide planting space for street trees and other plants. These planters take up much of the sidewalk and do not allow for comfortable walking conditions through this section of the

Figure 12: Two distinct right-of-way conditions exist along E. Warren Avenue. From Alter Road to Cadieux Road and from Cadieux Road to Mack Avenue.

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HOW STREET TREES BENEFIT THE COMMERCIAL CORRIDOR One challenge related to the current configuration of E. Warren Avenue is the location of the underground utilities near the road’s curb line. The location of utilities in this area prevents street trees and other curbside plants from being planted along the corridor as the roots would interfere with existing buried utilities. E. Warren Avenue is missing out on a number of benefits that street trees provide in the current configuration.

Planting street trees along a commercial main street can provide benefits that far outweigh the costs typically associated with trees. Street trees in urban areas are commonly associated with cracked and buckled sidewalks, broken water mains, and falling limbs. However, modern planting techniques and appropriate species placement yield fewer issues than in the past. Street trees create a sense of enclosure that helps slow vehicles down Much of E. Warren Avenue is devoid of street trees, exacerbating and define the various spaces along the corridor. They can also help many of the issues observed along the corridor today. Walking along E. in beautifying the corridor leading to more stable property values and Warren is not as pleasant as it could be due to the open nature of the higher returns on retail sales. corridor. Adding street trees provides shade and wind diffusion helping to shield pedestrians and cyclists from the extremes of the weather. Finally, street trees bring with them a number of health and environmental benefits, directly benefitting residents in the neighborhood. These include air quaility improvements, lower air temperatures, reduced ozone levels, improved physical and emotional health, less stormwater runoff, and additional space for wildlife. Street trees are also often associated with improved feelings of safety and economic wellbeing, which further benefit residents through improved walkability and increases in overall property values.

Overall, there are many positive effects of planting street trees, including improved walkability, reduced energy costs, cleaner air, and increased property values. In addition to this, street trees are one of the only pieces of urban infrastructure that appreciate in value as it ages. For a planting and three-year maintenance cost of around $400, a single street tree can return at least $90,000 in direct benefits to a property over the course of the tree’s life1.

add captions 1 https://www.walkable.org/download/22_benefits.pdf

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Intersections with high crash rates are located near busy bus stops KEY TAKEAWAYS and essential routes to neighborhood schools and activity centers. The evaluation of existing conditions along E. Warren Avenue provided insight into the opportunities and needs within the neighborhood. The Intersection safety improvements at targeted locations along the following takeaways were gleaned through the analysis phase and will corridor can be folded into the street redesign process and provide inform the development of the Strategic Opportunities Framework: safer conditions for vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists crossing the intersections. Three of the five intersections are located on major cross E. Warren Avenue has significant right-of-way available for changes streets (Alter Road, Outer Drive, and Cadieux Road) with stop lights. and could be utilized to create a street that operates both as a The other two intersections (3 Mile Drive and Nottingham Street) place for people and a transportation corridor. are at local streets in between stop lights and may require different interventions than the major street crossings. These high crash Based on the cursory review of the space available along the street and locations match up with high ridership bus stops and connections to based on the community’s input, there are a number of opportunities local schools. for an improved street design for E. Warren that will benefit users and the businesses along the corridor. Additional sidewalk space, room for Utilities exist at the curb line and currently prevent street trees planting and street trees, right-sized bike lanes, and the addition of from being planted strategic parking assets will all be essential to making E. Warren a more a safer, comfortable, and attractive corridor. The major utility lines are located near the edge of the curb line and will impede planting trees if the utilities are not moved. Street design Linking streetscape improvements to areas in the corridor where there concepts that move the curb line away from the utility lines will provide is heavy bus ridership, unsafe intersections, or logical crossing areas the most cost-effective option for adding street trees to E. Warren. can help residents feel safer using and crossing E. Warren.

The area with the largest amount of on-street parking is near the Alger Theater and within the ‘Core Retail Area’ identified previously.

Due to the presence of the side-aligned parking near Outer Drive, the highest concentration of parking is located in the core area of the E. Warren corridor. This high concentration of parking is consistent with the area with the most active retail concentration and provides a large amount of parking in a relatively small footprint. These spaces could serve as space for temporary uses, such as food trucks, mobile vendors, retail sidewalk sales, community events, and more.

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PARKS AND OPEN SPACE

The E. Warren/Cadieux Neighborhood is home to three local parks: 3 Mile - Munich Park, Messmer Playground, and Balduck Park. Balduck Park is one of the larger parks in the City of Detroit and serves as a regional open space asset for many of the neighborhoods on the far east side of the city. As part of the E. Warren/Cadieux Neighborhood Framework Plan, improvements to the open spaces in the Study Area will be considered to make them more functional for the community.

The main focus for park improvements, based on guidance from the Strategic Neighborhood Fund, will be on Balduck Park and improving Messmer Playground its status as a catalytic regional park. Balduck contains many features that are assets to the community but suffers from poor access, visibility, and a lack of place. Because limited capital and maintenance budgets must be taken into consideration when identifying concepts for park improvements, short term improvements as well as long term community needs and aspirational desires will be considered. WHAT WE’VE HEARD SO FAR Based on the feedback received, the community is looking for more activities to do at their local parks. Many who go to Balduck Park or the others in the neighborhood say that sports fields, particularly baseball diamonds, take up most of the space at the parks. Community members are looking for a diversity of sports fields, including basketball Balduck Park courts that could be used to supplement the crowded existing courts.

For those that do not want to play sports, additional programming has been requested by the community, including activities like a splash pad, playground equipment, and events. Many residents are also looking for ways to access the parks easier, especially Balduck Park. This includes access into the parks and through the parks. The parks are lacking internal sidewalks that makes getting to specific equipment hard.

Finally, the north side of the neighborhood is lacking a small community park similar to 3 Mile - Munich park and many residents mentioned the need for open space in that quadrant of the neighborhood. 3 Mile-Munich Park

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EXISTING ASSETS Figure 13: Parks and schools located within the Study Area, and the walking distances to each. Schools are shown as potential resources for open space in the neighborhood. Of the three neighborhood parks in the Study Area, the smallest and most recent addition to the neighborhood is Morningside’s 3 Mile - Munich Park, created as part of the City’s Give-a-Park, Get-a-Park program. Messmer Playground is slightly larger than 3 Mile - Munich park and is located in the south portion of Cornerstone Village near the border with East English Village (Figure 13).

Balduck Park is the largest park in the neighborhood and serves as a regional park for the City of Detroit. There are a number of large parks in the City that attract visitors from a larger “catchment” area than the smaller, more common neighborhood parks. The regional parks contain assets and programming that may not exist at smaller parks, including sports fields, recreation centers, pools, and trails. Other regional scale parks in the City include Rouge Park, Clark Park, Palmer Park, Patton Park, Riverside Park, and Chandler Park. Chandler Park is just over three miles away from Balduck Park and is an important open space asset for residents on the east side of Detroit.

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Much of Cornerstone Village is within a 10-minute walking distance and a large parking lot provides space for people coming from farther away. The park consists of two distinct areas on either side of Chandler Park Drive. The southern portion contains multiple sports fields and courts, a large sledding hill, community building, dog park, Ford Field and the Eastside Tennis and Fitness Club. The north portion is defined by two wooded areas. One containing significant vernal ponds and another, fenced off area, containing older growth woodlands of ecological significance. The open areas contains a new dog park, and an open space that serves as a football and soccer field.

Each park in the Study Area has access issues from the surrounding neighborhood and has need for additional gathering spaces with them. Additionally, open space is provided to the neighborhood at Corrigan Playground. While technically outside the Plan Study Area, its catchment area extends into the west edge of Morningside.

OPPORTUNITIES TO INCREASE ACCESS As the largest park in the Study Area, Balduck Park suffers from being hard to gain entrance. The parking area for the park is located behind the Eastside Tennis and Fitness Club and is not visible from the street. To those passing by, the parking area may appear to be only part of the Tennis Club or for the UAW Ford Field baseball facility. No signage exists at the parking entrance and may discourage residents from using the park. There is no dedicated parking area on the north side of the park and a sidewalk connection from the parking area to the north side does not exist. Space for parallel parking exists along Chandler Park Drive, however this area is marked with a no parking sign.

Much of Balduck Park abuts to the backside of the homes on Radnor Street, but no formal access points into the park from the neighborhood exist. This means that those looking to walk or bike to the park from the west side of Cornerstone Village have to travel to either E. Warren Avenue or Chandler Park Drive to enter the park. The Detroit Land Bank Authority owns a number of properties along Radnor Street that could be utilized to create access points into the park. Some parcels along Radnor Street are owned by the DLBA and could provide easier access to Balduck Park from the neighborhood

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Since Balduck Park is divided by Chandler Park Drive, the two halves The other parks in the neighborhood are smaller and are not evenly of the park feel disconnected from each other. Chandler Park Drive distributed through the neighborhood, with much of the Study Area consists of four vehicle travel lanes and a wide center median that north of E. Warren Avenue lacking dedicated park space. However, feels dangerous to cross on foot. Even though on-street parking is not Ronald Brown Academy, JE Clark Preparatory Academy, and East allowed on Chandler Park Drive, many people park their vehicles here English Village Preparatory High School contain open space areas, when using the park. Additionally, within the park, there are very few sports fields, and playgrounds that could be utilized by the community paths that park goers can use to access the various amenities in the and provide open spaces for the north side of the neighborhood with the park. Currently people have to walk with strollers, wagons, and bikes opening of barriers like fencing and restrictive signage. Ultimately, this through grass to get anywhere in the park. would require a partnership with the Detroit Public Schools Community District as the City of Detroit does not own these properties. It should also be noted that Balduck Park lacks access and signage even from the east and south sides where the neighborhood is open to the park. There are limited sidewalks, crosswalks or access points in general to Balduck Park and all contribute to the park being underutilized when dedicated programming is not available.

Crossing Chandler Park Drive can feel uncomfortable and unsafe for park users

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E. WARREN AVENUE GATHERING SPACES The E. Warren Avenue corridor is two miles of mostly continuous low- rise commercial buildings with few places of activation, outside of the existing businesses. Many communities, including other neighborhoods in Detroit, are beginning to realize the benefits of having public or publicly-assessable space interspersed with commercial and residential uses along neighborhood main streets. These public spaces act as activity generators and can be owned and operated utilizing a variety of models.

Public spaces along E. Warren Avenue would also help connect the two sides of the neighborhood and add valuable open spaces closer to the north side of the Study Area. These spaces can be designed and operated in such a way to provide value for businesses owners along the corridor and provide residents with needed gathering spaces.

Due to the limited parks and recreation capital and maintenance budget of the City of Detroit, alternative ways of adding traditional public space as well as privately owned/publicly accessible spaces to the corridor can be explored in partnership with local business and property owners. These spaces can be designed to provide multiple benefits, such as adding outdoor restaurant seating, assisting in stormwater management, increasing green space on the corridor, and acting as a space for events. Low- and no-maintenance concepts will help with long term costs of the space.

Empty, underutilized lots such as this, next to ZAB Cultural Collective, could be transformed into spaces that provide community space for residents and help activate the corridor.

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and maintained by GSD, are a KEY TAKEAWAYS long-term solution. The evaluation of existing open space conditions in the E. Warren/ Cadieux Study Area provided insight into the existing assets within the Opportunities exist to create neighborhood and the potential opportunities to improve them. The publicly-assessable space following takeaways were gleaned through the analysis phase and will along E. Warren Avenue to inform the development of the Strategic Opportunities Framework: activate the corridor. Balduck Park is destination park in the City of Detroit and can be To draw residents on to E. a broader attraction to the region with additional amenities and Warren Avenue and provide programming. public space equidistant from Enhancing Balduck Park’s reputation as a regional City park is residents, adding some public important to increasing its utilization within the neighborhood. space along the E. Warren Improving access, views, and connectivity will help residents more corridor may be warranted. easily enter and travel through the park. While adding amenities that These spaces would be utilized encourage impromptu gatherings and free programming will build the as a placemaking and activity park’s reputation as a regional park. generating tool that local businesses could utilize, but Poor access to and poor connectivity within Balduck Park are would also provide community barriers to its success as a regional gathering place. gathering space for all residents to use. Balduck Park suffers from a lack of connections to the portion of Cornerstone Village that directly abuts the western side of the park. This area is completely fenced off and backs up to homes located on Radnor Street. The Detroit Land Bank Authority owns property along Radnor Street that could be used as public access points into Balduck Park directly from the Corrigan Playground, but is still outside of normal walking distance to public open space.

New park assets in the neighborhood need to balance the limited capital and maintenance budgets of the City of Detroit.

The City of Detroit General Services Department (GSD) maintains the parks within the City and has a limited budget for adding and maintaining new park amenities. New facilities added to Balduck Park, 3 Mile and Munich Park, and Messmer Playground need to fit within the long-term maintenance budget of the City to ensure they are properly cared for in the future. New park facilities in the neighborhood, owned

Figure 14: Potential access routes into and through Balduck Park

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Strategic Opportunities Framework

The Strategic Opportunities Framework identifies the locations within the Study Area where opportunities overlap. Focusing public investment in these areas should yield greater results. 4 DRAFT

STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITIES IN THE STUDY AREA

Making the most of investments in E. Warren/Cadieux will require a range of coordinated actions that not only respond to the conditions and trends but are aligned to be mutually supportive of each other. The inter-related nature of the issues identified across the four key planning focus areas is an important aspect of developing successful strategies. As an example, the success of the main street is highly related to the strength the of neighborhoods it passes through. At the same time, the success of the main street is also an important contributor to surrounding neighborhood stability and reinvestment. Investments in both of these areas should reflect the relationship that they have on each other.

The Strategic Opportunity Framework (SOF) (Figure 15) builds on the findings of the four key planning focus areas to identify opportunities where new investment can be targeted to support a range of objectives; whether it be renovating the streetscape while setting the stage for new investment, stabilizing neighborhoods while supporting the success of the main street, or investing in park improvements that help to contribute to improved health and sustainability while contributing to the resilience of the surrounding neighborhoods.

The SOF presents a starting point for determining the location of specific strategies of the Plan. In the subsequent phases of the Plan, specific strategies will be developed that overlap in these areas.

This framework is comprised of six key opportunities, further detailed in this section.

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Figure 15: Proposed Strategic Opportunities Framework (SOF) for determining strategies and areas of investment in this Plan

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OPPORTUNITY 1: TARGETED COMMERCIAL E. Warren Avenue is the logical priority target area for commercial investment; it has historically served as the main commercial corridor INVESTMENT for the Study Area and it serves and connects all three neighborhoods, While East Warren is a long main street, a review of its characteristics which are connected to it on both the north and south side. However, identified a clear area of opportunity for new investment. Located there are other commercial main streets along the periphery of the between Devonshire Road and Guilford Street, this is an area with an Study Area which can further support broader commercial investment existing cluster of retail uses supported on two sides by relatively intact and overall stabilization efforts within the Study Area. Given limits neighborhood, strong retail fabric, existing development interest and to scope and funding for this Plan, the majority of resources will be interspersed sites with development opportunity (Figure 16). focused along East Warren, while the Plan will strategically address connections to and relationships with the secondary commercial areas, Targeting business and redevelopment incentives along this stretch of where appropriate. the main street would help to build upon and strengthen these existing assets while supporting a greater mix of uses. This includes new OPPORTUNITY 2: TARGETED STREETSCAPE housing that would contribute to a more vibrant main street, which in IMPROVEMENTS turn can become a greater asset to the surrounding community. There are a number of places along the East Warren corridor where a high-quality public realm is particularly important, including areas with an existing concentration of street-related shops and services that rely

Figure 16: The targeted commercial investment area and streetscape improvements should overlap to provide the greatest impact to the corridor.

66 // City of Detroit: East Warren / Cadieux Neighborhood Framework Plan DRAFT 4 on pedestrians and convenient parking to support their activities, and areas with high levels of bus passenger activity and important crossing points.

Focusing main street renovations in these locations can help to not only enhance the image of the street, but create an improved setting for new investment, supporting access for transit users and increasing safety for all users. A redesign of E. Warren could include improved crossings and transit waiting areas, more generous sidewalks, and integration of street trees. Where opportunities exist, new community gathering spaces can help support uses that animate the street while bringing people together and supporting local business (Figure 16). OPPORTUNITY 3: RE-STITCHING BALDUCK PARK INTO THE COMMUNITY Balduck Park is an important community asset that attracts people from throughout the Study Area and beyond, but there is a sense that it is not reaching its full potential. The park is difficult to travel through, with its western half – the side that direct abuts Cornerstone Village – blocked off and unable to access from local streets. Additionally, large areas of the park are dedicated to active programed space that may not be serving the local community .

An opportunity exists to deliver significant community benefit through a series of lighter improvements including: strengthening the relationship of the park to neighborhoods to the west by opening up new connections across vacant lands; improving connectivity through the park with improved paths and wayfinding; and supporting more local recreational activities and community programming. The improvements could help to stabilize parts of Cornerstone Village nearest to the park by enhancing this amenity, improving usability of the park for local residents while supporting improved access between the park and other health and wellness facilities which surround it.

Figure 17: Opening up access to Balduck Park from the west will allow more residents easy access to the park, while fostering a connection to the far west will help connect to Chandler Park.

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OPPORTUNITY 4: CONNECTING THE REGIONAL PARKS A more targeted approach to neighborhood stabilization focusing on areas in proximity to the main street, parks and existing areas of The E. Warren/Cadieux neighborhoods are situated between two reinvestment can help to ensure that improvements to the Study Area regional parks, Balduck Park to the east and Chandler Park to the west. neighborhoods also help to contribute to other objectives, such as the Together these parks serve communities across the eastside of Detroit creation of a healthier, vibrant main street. The introduction of new who are attracted to their mix of recreational facilities, open spaces and infill housing in areas where there are multiple vacant parcels in a row amenities. While the parks are tremendous community assets, they can can help to cater to a broader range of residents including retirees also be challenging for residents to access if they may not own or wish looking to downsize, young families and professionals while increasing to travel to them by car. Over half the Study Area is over a 10-minute neighborhood density and supporting the main street. New open spaces walk from Balduck Park, being the nearest of the two destinations. delivered through reinvestment can take advantage of areas with multiple connected vacant parcels to deliver improved amenity for new An opportunity exists to use streetscape enhancements to strengthen and existing residents. the relationship between these two regional destinations so that they can play a larger role in the social and recreational lives of area OPPORTUNITY 6: A FOCUS HEALTH & WELLNESS residents and in doing so, support improved mobility throughout the Study Area. The development of a new recreational trail or improved The St. John Hospital and Medical Center is already a hub for health bike lanes along E. Warren Avenue connecting the two parks would and wellness-related employment activity. It anchors a cluster of connect four distinct neighborhoods (Chandler Park, Morningside, EEV complementary uses, such as the Riverview Health and Rehab Center, and Cornerstone Village), the E. Warren main street, and East English several pharmacies, a health store, physio-therapist, and the cluster Village Preparatory Academy along its route. The next iteration of the of recreational and athletic facilities at Balduck Park and along Mack E. Warren cycling improvements can reduce conflicts between parked Avenue. cars and cyclists and be designed to appeal to a broader cross section of users. OPPORTUNITY 5: TARGETED NEIGHBORHOOD STABILIZATION There are significant clusters of vacant lots and housing across large swaths of Morningside and parts of Cornerstone Village which contribute to the destabilization of adjacent neighborhoods and retail areas. Transformation and reinvestment in vacant properties has been incremental, gradually moving outward from more stable neighborhood areas, where there is a noticeable relationship between more stable neighborhoods and the clustering of retail activity.

Figure 18: Connecting the neighborhood and E. Warren corridor to the St. John Hospital area may help attract more healthcare and medical offices

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Marketing programs aimed at supporting new investment along the eastern side of the Study Area should look to build on this cluster of health and wellness as a means of strengthening the existing employment cluster and capturing a greater share of the healthcare and social assistance industry – being an important area of growth within the City and broader region. Promotion and continued growth of a health and wellness cluster within the Study Area can not only help to support new high-paying local jobs and generate potential demand for office space related to medical jobs, but also increase demand for housing in the neighborhood and contribute to increased activity along retail and commercial corridors, such as E. Warren Avenue. OPPORTUNITY 7: REINFORCING COMMUNITY ANCHORS Facilities such as schools and places of worship play an important role in the E. Warren/Cadiuex community, providing spaces for interaction, housing community services and strengthening community bonds and resiliency. These benefits indirectly contribute to neighborhood stabilization by providing stable, active uses which have positive impacts on not only property values, but the lives of people living within the community. They can also be important community activators, supporting businesses; students from a school, for instance, may travel to a commercial area during lunch, contributing to increased transit ridership at nearby stops and providing space for recreational activity within the neighborhood.

An opportunity exists to strengthen the role of these facilities as community anchors through improved connectivity and integrated design. Investment should focus on creating safe and direct connections between these facilities, the E. Warren Avenue corridor, and the broader neighborhood. These can be supported by improved sidewalks, lighting, and transportation facilities (including cycling routes and bus stops). Opportunities should be explored to strengthen the relationship of these facilities to their surroundings, by reducing barriers such as fencing and implementing strategies to broaden the use of these facilities as diverse community spaces with after-hour programming; this will work to reinforce their role as community anchors.

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OPPORTUNITY 8: STRATEGIES SUPPORTING SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCE To ensure both short- and long-term success, it is important that all strategies of this Plan support sustainability and resilience wherever possible. This requires improving on present conditions while striving for long-term success, which in turn improves the capacity of communities to thrive as they continue to evolve over the years. This can be built into each of the Plan’s focus areas.

For instance:

• Neighborhood stabilization improves community resilience by creating neighborhoods which meet the needs of all residents through various stages of life. • Commercial and mixed-use development along the East Warren corridor will improve economic resiliency within the neighborhood by drawing in a critical mass of users to support businesses and providing opportunities for local business and entrepreneurship to support residents. Sustainable development practices which employ different building typologies, materials, and green infrastructure, can also be explored within the neighborhoods and along the E. Warren corridor. • Improved streetscapes along E. Warren and other key routes within the Study Area will encourage active transportation and allow for the integration of green infrastructure and increased landscape areas, all of which leads to a more sustainable street network; • Enhancing parks, open spaces, and public space through considerations for biodiversity and integration of stormwater management facilities increases the overall sustainability of the surrounding neighborhoods while providing community gathering spaces which build on resilience through social infrastructure. These enhancements can also be explored on vacant parcels along the E. Warren corridor and throughout neighborhoods to further these benefits. Neighborhoods thrive and stay successful when the amenities support each other and the community, while allow for a great diversity of uses.

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ENVISIONING LAYERED OPPORTUNITIES Figure 19 provides an illustration of how opportunities could potentially be layered to mutually support each other and deliver a broad range of community benefit.

Mixed-use infill and rehabilitation opportunities along the E. Warren Avenue corridor can fill and animate gaps in the street, improving the main street condition while delivering new homes. Increased activity is further achieved through rehabilitation of vacant lots within the neighborhoods adjacent to this corridor. This targeted approach not only helps to stabilize adjacent neighborhoods but support the success Future of the main street. Streetscape improvements including wider sidewalks with new street trees, a bi-directional multi-use path for cyclists and retail spill-out spaces can be integrated along the corridor to create a setting and complementing programs aimed at supporting mixed-use infill, rehabilitation and retail improvement along the corridor. This improves pedestrian comfort and safety while expanding mobility options for local residents. The transformation of smaller vacant sites as either temporary or permanent community gathering spaces can help to improve the image and animate the corridor while creating opportunities to support local business and entrepreneurship. Lastly, this targeted investment can further neighborhood stabilization by creating a stable, active, amenity-rich corridor which is attractive to potential new residents of the adjacent neighborhoods.

Figure 19: Demonstration plan of implementation of the Strategic Opportunities Framework along a portion of East Warren Avenue corridor

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